What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
What would the Yard Sale Queen say?
“Darlin’, it ain’t about diamonds or daiguiris – it’s about deals. A good life? That’s when you awake up on a Saturday with gas in the truck, a strong cup of coffee in one hand, and all the yard sales pinned in Google Maps from Facebook Marketplace.
Give Me:
A box of mismatched china for a dollar.
A dusty angel figurine with a cracked wing that still makes me cry.
And a table labeled “FREE” that holds a piece of someone’s history just waiting for a second chance.
Oh, and family. My husband, my son, and my dogs-because what good is finding treasure if you ain’t got someone to shout “LOOK WHAT I FOUND!’ to?
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
Here are ChatGPT’s top 10 things it thinks we need to live a good life.
🌻 1. Love (with a capital L) Not just the romantic kind, but love in its many flavors—loyal dogs that follow you room to room, my partner of 31 years is still making me laugh, friends who know your weirdness and stick around anyway. Love gives life its warmth, its reason.
🛠 2. Purpose Whether it’s writing songs, raising kids, or rummaging through garage sales like it’s a treasure hunt ordained by fate—purpose gives me a reason to get up, even on gray mornings. It doesn’t have to be grand. Just real.
💰 3. Enough (but not too much) I don’t need to be rolling in riches. Just enough to be safe, fed, and occasionally treat yourself to something joyful—like a vintage lamp shaped like a goose wearing a bonnet. (You know that’s a good find.)
🧠 4. Peace of Mind That quiet space in your soul where you’re not at war with yourself. Forgiveness, self-compassion, learning to say “no” without guilt—these are the unsung heroes of happiness.
🫂 5. Connection To people, yes—but also to moments. To the way sunlight spills across my porch. To stories that matter. To old songs and new dreams. Without connection, life is a long hallway echoing back nothing.
🎨 6. Creativity & Expression Whether I’m writing lyrics, painting, building, cooking, or dancing in the living room with the dogs—creativity is how we process the chaos and sprinkle beauty over it like glitter on a kindergarten art project.
🌳 7. Health This one’s sneaky. We forget it until it slips. Physical health, yes, but also mental health—the kind that lets you breathe easy and sleep through the night without carrying tomorrow’s worries like a backpack of bricks.
🙏 8. Gratitude Not forced “silver lining” stuff—but a gentle noticing. “Look at this,” you whisper to yourself. “We’ve made it another day.” Gratitude softens the hard edges and makes even the simplest meals feel like a feast.
🎭 9. A Little Mystery Some dreams left undone, some roads not taken, a sense that life still has surprises for you. Keeps the spark burning.
🎶 10. Stories Yours, mine, the stranger’s on the bench. We’re made of stories, and living a good life means telling yours with honesty, heart, and maybe a few unexpected plot twists.
Now, if I could bottle that up, I’d put it on a shelf labeled “Essentials for a Life Well-Lived” right next to the glitter-globe collection and the sacred cookie jar that never stays full for long. What would you add to the list?
When I was in elementary school, there was a contest in the class for our grade to write a short story and make it into a book. I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I can’t exactly remember but I do remember that I didn’t not win anything. The teacher told us to go to the library and to find a book to base our story on and to make our own story. I don’t know what book I chose but it must not have been a very good book. The story I wrote was about a boy who didn’t have any friends and couldn’t find anyone to play with him. I wish I had that book I wrote now. I can remember one of the drawing and all it was – was a stick figure and a hill of dirt. I didn’t have much of an imagination back then. And I don’t know why I would chose a male over a female. I can’t remember the whole story but it was just basically about a boy who had no friends. Now the girl who did win in our class and in our grade had a story about a dragon. A fantasy story about a dragon is all I can remember. I felt so bad about not making a better story. Back then, I didn’t know that I could write.
Reading
Through out middle school I would read the books by Francine Pascal called Sweet Valley Twins or Sweet Valley High. The main characters were Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. There were some other ones geared for pre-teen girls but it was mostly those type of books. It wasn’t until around my 8th grade year I got into Stephen King. I had to have all the books. Looking back – I wish I hadn’t. Those ghost stories did a lot of damage to not only my soul but my real life. Those books can put things into your imagination that shouldn’t be there. And since I believe in Karma, I think those spooky stories can bring things into your life that you don’t need. You have to know that I didn’t grow up in a religious household. We didn’t go to church every Sunday. We didn’t do a lot of things and now that I am older, I am wishing I had.
Poetry
So how does all my life experience lead to poetry? Well, I’m not really sure. I have so much to share, so much to tell, and I really think it started last year – before Suno. When we would lay down to go to bed, I would hear music. I would ask my husband if he heard music and he always said no. It was practically every night. I didn’t hear voices singing, at least not loud but when I discovered Suno, the music stopped and I started hearing verses. I would wake up in the middle of the night and ask my husband if he said something and the answer was always a resounding no. So now I will pick up my phone and put it into the notes app on my phone or into ChatGPT to remember for me. Those lyrics would be different every night. I will sometimes hear a song on the radio and think I can hear a different song with that same style of music. I found I could do parody’s as as long as I mention that in the description, it is legal. I still have some verses or just one line sentences that need songs to go with them but nothing has hit me yet on what to do with them. Well, thanks for reading and I hope that if there is anyone else out there who can relate, you would let me know. Surely to goodness I can’t be the only one. Or am I?
This song is based on a song my mother wrote a long time ago. I modified the lyrics and I have the voice of Mr. Crazy Rummagesale Man singing the song. I hope you like it. The original lyrics are below.
Darlin’, Come to me Tonight
~ written by Dorothy Johnson
Darlin' come to me tonight, it'll be alright. I want you and love you so much, Come here and I'll teach you the facts of life, And I want you to hold me this way.
Darlin, when I kiss you, it feels so right. Your embrace is all that i Need And when you surrender your love to me All i want is your truth and honesty.
Darlin' come to me tonight, it'll be alright, I want you and love you so much. Come here and I'll teach you the facts of life, And I want you to hold me this way.
Darlin, when we go out, on the town, Everyone knows you are with me. Because when you hold on, to my arm, you look at me lovingly.
Darlin come to me tonight, it'll be alright. I want you and love you so much. Come here and I'll teach you the facts of life, And I want you to hold me this way.
These are stories from the back roads—dusted with time, packed with truth. I write songs, poems, and pieces of life that might’ve been tossed aside, but never forgotten. I’m the Yard Sale Queen, and every word I share is something I found worth saving.
My husband and I have adopted colorful persona’s: Yard Sale Queen and Mr. Crazy Rummage Sale Man. I see the beauty in things that others miss. I find meaning in the ordinary, joy in the trash, and worth in the forgotten. That similar spirit is reflected in “Stories Worth the Dust.”
Dust is time, not just dirt. It’s memories. It’s what decides on something timeless but treasured. My poetry, songs, and stories are all based on real life—the kind that doesn’t always sparkle but is always significant. “Even the dusty things deserve to be heard.” That has a lot of power.
It combines playfulness and seriousness.
Without coming across as a gimmick, this tagline pays homage to my rustic style. It has a great deal of heart and a hint of mystery (“what does that mean?“). In addition to being emotional, a little scrappy, and honoring my Southern heritage, it also sounds intelligent and purposeful. I take my stories seriously, but I don’t take myself too seriously. It balances whimsy with weight in a delicate way. That’s precisely the tone I want to achieve.
It Honors Everyday Life
Everyday things like yard sales, family stories, highway encounters, and music that sounds like my hometown can all be poetic. “Stories Worth the Dust” suggests that I’ve seen, heard, and lived, and now I’m sharing the truth. Big-city polish is not what I’m after. I’m not attempting to be pretentious. I’m attempting to be honest. Stories that grab the reader’s attention are what I write. That originates from actual people, genuine porches, and real kitchens. There is dust in that world. And those old stories have fresh life because I’ve decided to bring them to the public’s attention.
It Builds a Brand That’s Cohesive
Mr. Crazy Rummagesale Man, my husband’s name, conjures up images of laughter, vigor, and possibly even mayhem. My Yard Sale Queen gives the rust a touch of majesty. I’ve already created a universe centered on storytelling, charm, and thrift. That’s the world that this tagline belongs in. It gives the impression that my writing is a gem hidden in the bins, just waiting to be discovered, much like the rummaging. It establishes an identity if I use this slogan on my website, book cover, blog header, and social media biographies. One that is kind, sage, humorous, and proud of its origins.
My Final Thought
I don’t need a big city or a big platform to write meaningful stories. To express what needs to be spoken, I need a heart, a voice, and the courage. I possess all three. I can fly the flag “Stories Worth the Dust,” which states that These words may be from the back roads, but they’re worth reading.
Married in Arkansas 